Beyond the Beanstalk
by Charming SVU Angel
Summary: Tallahassee post-ep oneshot.


**I was not planning on writing anything like this, at least not until The Evil? Queen was done but the idea wouldn't leave me alone. **

**Disclaimer: Not Mine  
**

As the group traveled through the forest, Snow White could not help but glance at her daughter. She still could not believe Emma had outsmarted Hook and gotten the compass. While she was incredibly proud of the woman, she was also extremely angry about her deal with Mulan. She had just gotten her baby girl back after twenty-eight years and the deal almost took her away again, this time forever.

"Mary Margaret…Snow," Emma hesitated with the name before continuing. "I did what I had to. I couldn't risk any of you."

"I know, Emma," she replied. "I understand that but it doesn't change how angry I am. What would Henry have done if Mulan had chopped the beanstalk down?" Snow desperately wanted to add '_What about me?_' but was not sure how Emma would react to that question or if she trusted herself to respond to the answer without chasing her only child away.

"Henry would have been fine. He would have you and David," she paused. "and Regina, to care for him."

"How can you say that?" Snow exclaimed. "_You _are his mother! He needs you."

"No, Regina is his mother." Emma choked out. "I'm just the woman who gave birth to him in prison and gave him up."

"Oh, Emma," Snow took her daughter's hand in her own. "You _are_ so much more than that. You are Henry's mother, you are my daughter and you're the person who saved us all. Why can't you see that?"

"Because I grew up thinking I was nothing! That my parents didn't want me, I was nobody. Then when I met someone who makes me feel otherwise, he leaves me pregnant and in jail." Emma jerked her hands away and turned her back on her mother.

Shocked, Snow stared at the broken woman. Henry's father left her alone after finding out she was pregnant? What kind of father did that? She had been forced to give her baby up to save her and it killed her as she knew it did James.

"He left you when you were pregnant?" she asked in disbelief. "Didn't he want his son?"

"He doesn't know about Henry. I found out in jail. He was already gone."

"You didn't tell him?"

Emma turned, eyes shining with unshed tears. "After I was arrested, I only heard anything out of Neal once. He sent me the keys to the car the day I found out I was pregnant. I tried to find him when I got out to tell him I had given our son up for adoption but he was gone."

Taking a chance, Snow wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding on when Emma tensed. After a moment, Emma relaxed and let her tears fall. She rested her head on her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"That's why you lied to Henry," Snow murmured, gently running her fingers through her daughter's hair, hurting alongside her child. "You said his father wasn't a good person. The truth is that you still love him, even now, isn't it?"

Emma gave a barely noticeable nod. She felt lighter as she shared her burden with her mother. Sharing her past wasn't something she was comfortable doing but knew Snow wouldn't let her hide for long. She had a very stubborn mother and although she would never admit it, deep down she was grateful. Always keeping things bottled up was taking its toll on her.

"You have to tell Henry the truth," Snow informed her daughter gently.

"I can't," Emma shook her head. "He'll hate me."

"No he won't. He'll be mad at you for a while but once you explain why you lied to him, he'll understand. You told me, he was upset and you wanted him to believe good could win, right?" she waited for the nod against her shoulder. "When we get back, give him a day or two before you talk to him. He will need time to calm back down or he'll be too excited to really hear you." Taking a chance, Snow pressed a quick kiss to her daughter's hair, relieved when she didn't react poorly.

Glancing around, Snow noticed that while they were talking, Mulan and Aurora had set up camp a short distance away. She guided her daughter over and sat on a log with her, surprised that Emma hadn't pulled away yet. Instead the other woman laid her head on Snow's shoulder and closed her eyes again. She was asleep in minutes. Snow held her daughter close, thankful for the opportunity to finally be her mother.

**Please review and for those of you reading TEQ I plan to update soon. The conversation is a little difficult to write but I am more than halfway done.**


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